Good That is Evil
by Kisuru-chan
Summary: Pumpkaboo searches for human spirits on Halloween night. Creepy one shot.


**A/N:** Written as a Trick or Treat 2017 exchange gift for CoaxionUnlimited.

-()-

The shutters on the windows were sealed tight and the doors were locked. Darkness engulfed the streets completely, not a single streetlamp or prinprick of light shining, the whole world still and completely silent.

Just an hour ago children had been out and about for Trick or Treating shenanigans. But their parents had swiftly tugged on their little arms and pulled them away from the open, hushed whispers warning of what was to come, candy discarded on the grass and sidewalk in their haste to evacuate the streets. Being outside was risky so close to dusk—but the children had insisted. Trick or Treating was a tradition and they were invincible to danger, they cried. But the adults were well-aware of the sinister curses that awaited the unsuspecting fool after the orange sunset coasted the skyline. Adults knew what would come.

Can't we just send out houndoom _? a boy had asked his mother that pumpkaboo had seen rush past the pumpkin patch earlier. He pumped his fists and looked fired up and angry._ Houndoom is really strong and can beat the— _  
_  
No _, the mother had scolded, the fear in her eyes sharp. She held onto his little fist tighter. He brisk pace quickened._ That pumpkaboo took many souls from this village last Halloween. We can't risk endangering our pokemon to its curses. We tried to get rid of it and tell it there are no more souls to take, but we don't think it understands about the earthquake from when you were born. As long as we avoid its path and hide we will be okay, sweetie _…  
_  
Pumpkaboo's light would be coming. Coming very soon.

It hadn't always been like this. The village was a peaceful abode where people normally lived happily. Everywhere, however, had its rotting skeletons in the closet. After the earthquake a few years ago souls had been lost from the living realm. On its own terms, pumpkaboo had come to visit and never left. Pumpkaboo had taken residence in a farmer's comfortable pumpkin patch last summer and made the village its hunting grounds in the autumn.

Pumpkaboo was intrigued was the area. It preferred a peaceful life even if the humans didn't like its methods.

On Halloween night, pumpkaboo surveyed the streets, prowling for spirits to take home. Spirits were the most active and restless on this night. The humans and pokemon alike hid from pumpkaboo just so they wouldn't be confused as the souls that needed to depart—but, in reality, pumpkaboo was doing its job. Wandering spirits walked among the living and pumpkaboo was the pokemon that reached out in their time of need.

But that didn't mean it wouldn't take causalities along the way. The more souls in its giant pumpkin, the merrier!

Pumpkaboo snickered. The eyes In its pumpkin head glowed an insidious orange, flashing evilly, the light illuminating the darkened street before everything was swallowed by the ominous tension in the air.

From the corner of its eye, pumpkaboo noticed a curtain swing back to its place before a hand was pulled away.

Pumpkaboo was immediately entranced. It floated towards the window and rapped on the glass. It heard gasps on the other side and shuffling footsteps and the low _bzzzzt_ of a terrified cuteifly on the other side. Pumpkaboo could hear low breathing. Pouting, pumpkaboo turned, returning to the street. No souls to be found. Getting its hopes up like that only made it want to grab more and more souls…

Continuing on its way, it arrived at the end of the street. No moonlight showed off its path; the new moon clearly allowed the stars to shine and cloud cover to be smuges and outlines in the fuzzy night time sky. Where were the souls? So many souls had been here before waiting for pumpkaboo to eat them up. Now it was disappointed.

It had not realized the earthquake was a rare occurrence. Really, it had not really known the cause, but pumpkaboo was had prepared for souls and that's what it would do.

Twists and turns in its pumpkin alerted it to the souls inside. The souls banged and screamed. Pumpkaboo just patted its pumpkin lovingly, the light of souls dancing in its eyes and flittering in and out of sight. Soon, the realm to the other world would close. Reaching the other world was still possible after Halloween but pumpkaboo would have a harder time getting there. Cursing people was fun, although pumpkaboo genuinely cared about its precious souls. Pumpkaboo wanted to be a good host.

Opening its mouth, pumpkaboo began to sing. Of course its voice wouldn't be developed until it was a gourgeist, but pumpkaboo was an overachiever, and pumpkaboo found that singing attracted spirits. Its voice piped up like a flute, breezing and swaying across the wind, contralto, ethereal and forlorn in its echoing and calling out for the dead.

Pumpkaboo noticed a small, white shape in the distance. It waved its arms and sailed towards it. The ghost turned—a sniffling child—before it was vacuumed up into pumpkaboo's pumpkin. A final wail resounded as the soul joined the others, the spirits fighting for room, the newest addition pushed into the fray of confused spirits.

Smiling to itself, pumpkaboo decided it would just have to keep singing and curse the whole village. As long as it kept finding spirits that needed it, pumpkaboo was just fine. After all, the night was still young. It had all night.


End file.
